Welcome to Wellness Weekly coming to you every week. This will be a regular series, sort of like a Letter from the Editors that will rotate between different members of Team Smudge and the occasional guest. We’ll hold space on the Dirt to check in on our Sixth Sense: the term we use to refer to our spirit, our intuition, our inner power. And because while we exist in the world alongside our other Five Senses, we’ll do a check-in of those, too.

Today is the full moon in Cancer (and MLK day), on a Monday, which is Moon Day, and the moon rules Cancer. Feminine energy to the max! And today has been an extremely feminine weekend. I had my house to myself for the weekend, which has never happened in my almost two years of living here. Usually, on the weekends, you can find me somewhere basking in the sun, soaking my feet in the grass, eating bottomless brunch, or engaging in activities. Needless to say “I be outside!”. But this weekend, I really did not do any of that.
I spend the latter part of the weekend in solitude, doing shadow work and getting deeply in tune with my feminine energy and deeply rooted emotions. My mother and I had a long conversation about feminine energy and tapping into the divine feminine. Very enlightening, and shoutout to my beautiful mother! The first half of the weekend, I spent time with friends who hold a very special and important place in my heart. These are the friends that I met studying abroad in Italy. We met in Rome, but all live within miles of each other in the U.S. All four of us! Like, what are the odds? One of our friends just moved back from Taiwan this weekend, so we had a reunion. We planned to watch the Matrix but ended up just getting Vegan food and chatting it up all night. The friend whose house we stayed at has a glorious family and a glorious home, so it felt like a whole girl’s retreat!

Our relationship is so special because it is truly a spiritual relationship that transcends dimensions. We met in a foreign country and navigated all of the trials and tribulations of this international experience together. We laughed, cried, ate, partied, traveled, and truly lived our best lives. But we also grew so much spiritually and had our eyes opened to so many different ideas, perspectives, and the truths of life. During that time abroad, my third eye was opened. And it happened alongside these wonderful ladies. Truly an inspiring and uplifting group of women. We spent our 24 hours together being feminine, talking, wining and dining, playing games, and of course, having the world’s deepest conversations. At one point, I was standing in our friend’s living room, and I told her “I know you have crystals in here. But where are they?” The energy was so unbelievably potent, and even though I didn’t see any crystals there, I felt the high vibrations running through my veins. Low and behold, my friend moved some books and there was a giant piece of amethyst, a moon and cancer ruling crystal, and a very feminine one at that. That moment reminded me how powerful energy is, and how much friendships and celestial relationships can really enhance your energy.
The Senses: Sight, Sound, Smell, Taste, and Touch
Sight
Sadly, my vision has gotten blurrier lately. It is for sure due to all the time that I spend in front of a screen. If I am not working, I am in school or doing schoolwork, which as we all know involves a screen. This, my friends, is far from healthy on the eyes. Constantly being in front of a screen damages the tissues in our eyes, tissues that blue light glasses are not going to repair.
Glasses help us see better, but how do we HEAL our eyesight? Vitamin A! I’m sure you’ve heard about carrots improving eyesight, but did you know that carrots are rich in vitamin A? This vitamin aids in repairing the tissues in our eyes that keep our vision crystal clear. It helps us maintain a clear cornea and is a component of rhodopsin, which is a protein in our eyes that enables us to see in low light conditions. Read more about vitamin A benefits here.
Sound
Interestingly enough, I have spent most of my weekend in complete and utter silence. I grew up in a family of six, so silence? Idk her. Even now, I live in a house of four, so even in the most silent of moments, there is always bound to be some footsteps or the sound of the washing machine. Add on top of that, the component of living in the center of a major city, with constant sirens, revving engines, loud talking, buses, you name it, I’ve heard it outside my window. And while the outdoor side effects are permanent, I was in control of my immediate sounds. Usually, I have music blasting, but since I had this time to myself, I decided to try moving in silence, literally.
This was definitely a challenging experience, as this is truly something that I am not sure if I have ever really been able to do before. But it was nice to be surrounded by nothing but my own thoughts.
Smell
Today I lit this “High Priestess” candle, which is accented with some mint and rosemary scents. And OMG, it smells exactly how you would expect a high priestess to smell. It’s strong, classy, and welcoming. It makes me want to breathe in as much air as I can to breathe in all of those high vibrations. I have also had eucalyptus oil in my diffuser all weekend. If you know, you know, eucalyptus is THAT GIRL! Feel congested or foggy? Miss girl will get you right together. She does to your nostrils and head what ginger does to your stomach. Clears out its impurities.
Taste
I have really been feeling this coconut yogurt lately, vegan of course. It is the perfect texture with the perfect amount of sweetness. I compliment it with pecans, chia seeds, and blueberries. So yummy!
In addition, I have been whipping up the best salads! I simply go to the store, get a bunch of kale, beans, fruits and veggies, nuts, and dressings. I prepare different variations of salads each day, and every single one that I have made has been out of this world. Some of my favorite ingredients are pecans, avocado, black beans, oranges, blueberries, papaya, peppers, and cucumbers. I love to accompany it with a sweet balsamic or a turmeric/ginger kind of dressing. Chefs kiss! You can also make a dressing with papaya seeds. They have a mustard-like taste.
Touch
Crystals crystals crystals. Touching crystals after cleansing them under the full moon is the BEST! For most crystals, when they are warm and or dull-looking, they are ready to be charged. You know they are recharged when they are cool and vibrant. One of my favorite ways to cleanse my crystals is putting them out for the new moon. That is the ultimate cleansing energy! You can also cleanse them with Selenite, a singing bowl, with your own energy, or in the way or dirt. After they are properly cleansed, you can feel the shifting energy. Placing them or your energy pints (chakras) can really allow them to enhance and or absorb your energy. Light crystals are best for enhancing while dark crystals are best for absorbing. Use them to your advantage if you have them! Simply touching them can do you wonders.